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Sierra Madre cancels outdoor event due to increased bear encounters

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

The city of Sierra Madre has scrapped at least one community event over concerns that a bear could crash the party.A Friday night family campout in Memorial Park dubbed ‘A Night Under the Stars’ has been canceled due to a series of bear sightings and break-ins over the past several days, KTLA has learned.On Wednesday, a homeowner was startled when she returned to her home on South Hermosa Avenue to find a bear enjoying food from her refrigerator. Officers arrived, but the bear eventually wandered off on its own.A bear went for a dip in Sierra Madre on Sept. 13, 2023. (Mike Cook)Later that day, a bear -likely the same one- was seen on video taking a dip in a pool on the same street.Then, early Friday morning, a large black bear was seen rummaging through trash in Monrovia, a community adjacent to Sierra Madre in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.Wildlife sightings and encounters are common in the foothills, particularly in the fall when bears gorge themselves before hibernat...

These are the most expensive states to die in: Here is where California ranks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

It’s no surprise that living in California is expensive, but the same could be true when it comes to dying in the state.A new report from Forbes Advisor shows that California is one of the most expensive places to die in, ranking within the top 10. California ranked 6th on the list. This is how much it costs to have a baby in California Researchers analyzed funeral costs and end-of-life medical expenses in all 50 states to determine the ranking. The funeral expense inflation rates data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index Reports and funeral cost data came from the National Funeral Directors Association, the report said.In the Golden State, death-related expenses can cost $27,428on average, with the average cost of a funeral with viewing and cremation totaling $10,091, which is $2,355 more than the national average of $7,736, according to the report.The national average of death-related expenses is $24,204; the median funeral cost is $7,736 and the a...

What to play: ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ and ‘Crew Motorfest’ headlines busy weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

After a post-“Starfield” lull, publishers have roared back with several titles this week. Fans of two classic genres have fairly big games to play while “Pokemon” fans have something to cheer about with the arrival of the first part of the “Scarlet” and “Violet” expansion.No matter what type of gamer you are or what kind of time constraint you’re under, you can find several ways to play this weekend. “Mortal Kombat 1” — Don’t be fooled by the number. Fans have experienced more than two dozen entries and spin-offs to this legendary fighting game. This one is another reboot as Liu Kang uses his new power to reimagine the “Mortal Kombat” universe.Fighting games aren’t usually big on story, but “Mortal Kombat” is the exception with a story mode that tells a complex plot. Meanwhile, NetherRealm Studios has updated the mechanics with the introduction of Kameo Fighters, which acts as...

Sale closed in Palo Alto: $6 million for a six-bedroom home

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

950 Guinda Street – Google Street ViewA 4,359-square-foot house built in 1997 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 900 block of Guinda Street in Palo Alto was sold on Aug. 15, 2023. The $5,950,000 purchase price works out to $1,365 per square foot. This three-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring six bedrooms and four baths. Additionally, the home is equipped with a garage.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:In May 2023, a 2,541-square-foot home on Fulton Street in Palo Alto sold for $3,800,000, a price per square foot of $1,495. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Boyce Avenue, Palo Alto, in May 2022, a 508-square-foot home was sold for $5,600,000, a price per square foot of $11,024. The home has 6 bedrooms 1 bathroom.A 864-square-foot home on the 800 block of Guinda Street in Palo Alto sold in May 2023, for $2,800,000, a price per square foot of $3,241. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom. 

Former Peninsula driving instructor sentenced to 18 years for convincing minors to make pornography

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

SAN MATEO — A former driving instructor based on the Peninsula was sentenced to 18 years in prison for coercing teenage girls into creating pornography to distribute online and for engaging in sexual acts with some of them, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.Johnnatan Zelaya Izaguirre, 39, of Redwood City pled guilty to the federal charges on May 13, more than one year after his initial arrest in January 2022, according to a news release Friday from U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. In his plea agreement, Izaguirre admitted to recruiting girls between the ages of 14 and 17 to create pornographic images to post online.He admitted to having sex with at least two of the girls, including one of them on video. He then distributed that video to what federal prosecutors described as a “client.”Zelaya recruited some victims through social media, using his driving instruction business as a front to find students to recruit. He told the girls he w...

Here are the Bay Area’s semifinalists for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

Nearly 1,140 Bay Area students have been recognized as semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program — a countrywide competition among high school seniors. These students are among 16,000 semifinalists across the nation — less than 1% of the nation’s high school seniors — who will now be considered for around 7,140 scholarships worth nearly $28 million next spring.It’s the third-to-last step in the process. About 95% of semifinalists are expected to to be named finalists, and approximately half of those finalists will earn a scholarship. Over 1.3 million high school juniors in 21,000 high schools entered the competition through the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or PSAT, which serves as the initial screening of program entrants. The semifinalists announced this week include the highest-scoring students in each state.AlamedaAlameda High SchoolCanavese, Madeleine G.Goldwasser, Bella R.Zhu, AngelicaAlbanyAlbany H...

Will 49ers’ Deebo Samuel resume his touchdown trend against the Rams?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

SANTA CLARA — The last time Deebo Samuel played at SoFi Stadium, he scored, of course. He does that a lot against the Rams. But he also sulked away heartbroken after the 2021 season’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Rams.A hamstring injury kept him out of last season’s 31-14 rout there, so when he returns with the 49ers for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup, it’s noteworthy that he does so as a first-time captain.“It just shows the hard work and stuff I put in this offseason, for the players to vote me in as a captain, it’s real big,” said Samuel, 1-of-6 captains this season.He has scored seven touchdowns in eight career games against the Rams, including a 44-yard catch-and-run to tie the score at 7 in that eventual NFC Championship Game defeat in January 2022. Otherwise, he’s scored three times on receptions, and three times on runs, all of which contributed to his positional pseudonym as the 49ers’ “wide back.”He didn’t sco...

Oakland Zoo's last female elephant moved to new herd in Tennessee

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

(BCN) --Donna, the Oakland Zoo's 43-year-old African elephant, has moved to a new home in Tennessee following the death of her long-time elephant companion Lisa earlier this year. Donna came to Oakland in 1990 from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and quickly bonded with Lisa, growing so close that the pair slept together in the same barn for years, according to Oakland Zoo officials. Donna and Lisa were the last female elephants at the zoo, following the 2019 death of 50-year-old M'Dunda. "Female elephants are deeply social with each other and create close, lifelong bonds," said Colleen Kinzley, vice president of animal care, conservation and research at the Oakland Zoo. "Our priority has been to ensure Donna, now the sole female at Oakland Zoo, can live out her life with other compatible females." Hank the Tank’s cubs raised in captivity at Sonoma County facility To that end, Donna was moved by truck to The Elephant Sanctuary, an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-acc...

Rayo Vallecano beats Alaves 2-0 after back-to-back losses in Spanish league

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Rayo Vallecano recovered from back-to-back losses in the Spanish league to beat Alaves 2-0 at home on Friday.Isi Palazón converted a penalty two minutes before halftime, and summer signing Jorge de Frutos sealed the win with a goal off a counterattack in the 82nd.Álvaro García played a key role in both goals. The winger was fouled in the area to set up Isi’s spot kick, and he provided the assist for De Frutos in the second goal.Rayo is coached by Francisco Rodríguez after Andoni Iraola left to take over Bournemouth in the off-season. Rayo started the season with two wins before it was routed 7-0 at home by Atletico Madrid and then lost 1-0 at Real Betis before Friday’s victory.Alaves was promoted at the end of last season. It has won two and lost three.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Louisiana island town to repeal ordinance, let driver fly vulgar anti-Biden flag

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:11 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A resort island town on the Louisiana coast will repeal an anti-obscenity ordinance and let a contractor fly a flag from his truck that carries an obscenity aimed at President Joe Biden, under the terms of a lawsuit settlement filed Friday in federal court. The settlement came in a lawsuit the Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic filed in January against the town of Grand Isle on behalf of Ross Brunet of Cut Off, Louisiana, who works on the island regularly. The suit said he repeatedly flew three flags from his truck. One promoted breast cancer awareness. Two bore vulgarities aimed at Biden and people who voted for him. Brunet was ticketed seven times, according to the lawsuit. He successfully defended himself against four tickets. Despite winning those cases, he was later ticketed three more times. The last three cases were dropped after the town adopted an ordinance stating that signs on vehicles “shall not contain language deemed offensive and vulgar nor obscene i...